The fatal citrus greening disease was confirmed for the second time in the San Gabriel section of Los Angeles County, reports the Fresno Bee. The new case was in a kumquat tree in a residential neighborhood. A crew from the state Agriculture Department removed the tree. The first case in California was in a citrus tree in Hacienda Heights, about 15 miles from San Gabriel. California is the second-largest citrus state in the nation after Florida. Citrus greening is spread by a tiny insect, the Asian citrus psyllid. “Once a tree is infected there is no cure. It typically declines and dies within a few years,” says the Bee.
Citrus greening was first discovered in California in 2008. Quarantines on movement of citrus trees and fruit are in place in 17 counties, says the Bee. A quarantine was expected soon in the San Gabriel area.